Kremlin bots justified the internet shutdown in Moscow as due to the “work of secure communications and air defense” and urged people to “read books” during that time

Kremlin bots justified the internet shutdown in Moscow as due to the “work of secure communications and air defense” and urged people to “read books” during that time

Since May 2, when the authorities began actively shutting down mobile internet in Moscow as part of preparations for the Victory Day parade, pro-government bots on VKontakte have left about 1,100 comments justifying the restrictions. This is shown by data from the Botnadzor project, analyzed by Verstka.

Most often, the bots write that they do not share the concern over the internet shutdowns because websites included in the “white lists” are still working (although the Ministry of Digital Development said that even they will not be accessible on May 9).

“Again a bunch of drama in the comments, the white lists let you watch movies and order food and whatever else, but people decided to blow it up into drama,” the bots write.

Another common bot narrative repeats the authorities’ official rhetoric: the shutdowns are necessary to ensure security. In particular, the bots claim that because there is no internet, there is “less load on the network,” and because of that, in turn, “air defense and secure communications work more clearly.”

At the same time, in some cases the bots have trouble with the details and context they themselves bring up. For example, some of them write that without restrictions, “drones will fly through the internet.”

The bots also accuse users of no longer being able to live without the internet and advise them to “read books” in the free time that has opened up.

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